Hello everyone.
I am planning a layout which is to include a hidden staging yard. The layout will be DC only, for there are no plans for multiple operators.
The question is who has hidden staging yards and how do you control them? Are they fully automated? If so which system is used, or is the staging within sight and that is how the trains are controlled, by a operator and line of sight? Has anyone installed a CCTV camera? Also is it worth the time and effort to have a staging yard?
Would love to hear your opinions.
Just a couple of quick facts, gauge is HO, era is modern, ie 2000 and beyond, room size is 28' by 26'.
Thank you
"If you need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm."
For that era and size of layout, you most definitely want a staging yard. I don't know what your overall layout plan is, but you don't have to have it hidden: I have chosen to make two visible staging yards. One is also a classification yard and another one will be an industrial facility + coach yard + storage tracks.
Presently I am struggling with a few operations related issues with the staging yard design.
Pas to your original question: many things have been written and hard to say based on your current plan but:
- consider access to turnouts. How will you switch and fix derailments?
- if only one operator, will a simple turnout indicator and a peg board (empty/full indication you would set by hand) worj instead of CCTV?
Now, I would also recommend getting DCC for that big a layout. Incremental cost isn't much. But you can do a ton with it other than just running multiple engines.
NP.
It depends on if you are using stubs or loops.
For a stub track it is easy, you cut a gap in the track where you want the engine or train to stop, and then you solder a rectifier across the gap so that only outbound power will be applied to the place where the engine rests.
For a loop, it is even easier. You cut gaps in both rails (after all it may be a reversing loop) at both ends of the track. When a switch is aligned to that track it receives power from the track that is sending the train into the pocket. It will stop because of a gap at the place where the engine is to stop. Retuen the turnout lever to the normal position. When is time to leave, reverse the lever controling the exit turnout, and that will apply power to the exit end of the pocket.
LION has carried this theam a bit further, him has a pocket track that can hold three trains. Each stop spot has its own lever. For example, to park a train in slot one, (at the exit end of the track) the tower operator would reverse levers 2 and 3 (appling power to slots 2 and 3, and would reverse the enterence turn out. The train comes in and runs out of power when it reaches slot 1. Set lever 2 to normal (no power) and the next train to enter will stop in slot 2.
Set all levers to normal after every movement. That is just how it is done.
To exit a train revers the exit lever and the slot one lever, it gets power from the exit track and only slot one is powered. To eixt slot 2, reverse the slot 2 lever as well. etc. etc.
ROAR and ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Frank:
I have a stub ended staging yard, visible, but a duck under to get to it.
I used power routing peco turnouts and peco under table snap switches, with a diode matrix system and a capacitor discharge circuit.
In twelve years I've had to clean lint out of points a few times.
The advantage of the diode matrix is the route to/from any track is aligned with the touch of one push button.
Their was an article in MR a couple of decades back on how to do this, with a title similar to "Distant Control of Turnouts"
I'm in the Oshawa area.
Dave
I have a staging loop I use to hold trains that leave Durango and head for Chama, the old narrowgauge main. It consists of the single track down to it via helix that leads to the loop switch. After entering the loop, another turnout splits into the two tracks that follow almost completely around the loop. The first two-thirds of each was a separate block for DC control.
The last third was one block, but on both tracks. I used the power routing feature of the Tortoise I used on the turnout that brought the two lines back together to route power to one or the other of the last third of each staging track.Past the exit turnout the brings the two staging track together is a short stretch of track that returns you to the loop switch where you entered.
This forces you to align the exit turnout for the train entering from the first two-thirds of that track. Once it's poosition, then you flip the exit turnout to the other track and do the same. If you accidentally run by the gap after the first two-thirds, things go dead until you align the exit turnout properly.
Ideally, the last third is long enough to hold your longest train, but you don't need to follow my thirds rule, put the gaps where they work best for you. What you want besides the holding area at the exit is enough space to receive the train and stop it prior to hitting the gaps that divide the sidings into the first and second parts. This allowed me to use two sidings to hold up to 4 trains, 2 on each track.
I use CCTV to keep an eye with one camera on the loop and holding tracks turnout areas and another at the gaps at the two-thirds point. For around $80, Harbor Freight sells a color CCTV system with a flat panel display and two cameras.
For more expanded vision, there are security systems now available in the $300 to $400 range that have 4 cameras, plus allow you access to the system images via your smart phone wirelessly. That way you're not tied to being in front of the monitor.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Four of my five staging areas are visible, as seen in the photo below. The fifth, not yet built, will be in another room, and will consist of only two tracks, both of which will have a switch-controlled dead section at their blind ends. Operations are planned as two trains outbound per "operating day", and two inbound, with locomotives turned on-layout between operating sessions and rolling stock manually cycled on or off layout as necessary.On the visible staging tracks, cars cycle on or off the layout manually, too - that's why rolling stock storage is located on the shelves below staging. Locomotives will be turned, on-layout, between operating sessions.
Wayne
Hello everyone,
thank you for the replies. NP01, the peg board idea is a good way of doing it, rather then CCTV and you are right, the hidden storage should be easily accessible.
Lion, sounds like you have a interesting system. I shoule wire one siding like that so that mow vehicles can be parked there.
Davidmurray, the diode matrix sounds like a great idea. First heard about that on a self guided train tour based out of Cambridge, the owner of Fast Tracks used to live in Kitchener and he had one for his layout. In this case the sidings will not be stub sidings. Had them on my last layout, worked well but these trains will be longer.
Mlehman, I like the idea of power rounting with the tortoise switch machines. Also like the the fact that these switch machines have worked well for so long. Also your siding length are a good way of doing it, but I am afraid that there will not be enough rooms for the more modern trains in my layout room.
Wayne, thank you for the picture. There is a lot to be said for simplicity. That might be a great way to go about it all.
Again thank you for your comments. They are greatly appreciated and very thought provoking.
Frank
da_krautMlehman, I like the idea of power rounting with the tortoise switch machines. Also like the the fact that these switch machines have worked well for so long. Also your siding length are a good way of doing it, but I am afraid that there will not be enough rooms for the more modern trains in my layout room.
Yep, this set-up has been ultra reliable and fails only when I fumble finger or not pay attention to what I'm doing. I can see where long trains won't let you stack them up like I do. But the concept still works if it's simply intended to have that last bit of the loop acts as a catch basin once the Tortoise is set to the other track, rather than holding a complete train. The loco simply dies as it come to that dead section, then you can move forward as you get around to it by throwing the points to serve that track, then moving the train forward until they are clear just before the turnout merging the two tracks together where the ultimate hold until ready point is.